Apple last month filed a new legal complaint with the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) over the British government's demand for access to encrypted iCloud backups belonging to UK users, according to an order issued by the court and reported by the Financial Times.

The Home Office previously agreed to drop its original backdoor demand after a diplomatic row with Washington. The government then issued a new TCN to Apple last year, limited to users in the UK. Technical capability notices are issued under the UK's Investigatory Powers Act to investigate terrorism and child sexual abuse, and they can force companies to hand encrypted data to UK security services.

The court notified Privacy International of Apple's new complaint. The group, along with Liberty, had already brought a separate complaint against such notices at the IPT, with that case due to be heard in December. Apple has long argued that any backdoor would weaken security for all its customers, and both Apple and the Home Office are legally barred from discussing TCNs.

This legal challenge underscores the ongoing tension between privacy advocates and national security interests in the digital age.